Carrying device for an apron drafting system

ABSTRACT

An apron drafting system for a spinning machine as well as a carrying device for an apron drafting system of a spinning machine, with a first and a second support, each of which is configured for detachably accommodating an apron bridge and/or for rotatably bearing a drawing roller is provided. In order to provide a carrying device for an apron drafting system as well as an apron drafting system of a spinning machine, which enable an apron to be changed quickly, there is provision with the carrying device for the first support to have a base element and a guide section detachably connected to the base element and having a bearing opening for rotatably bearing the drawing roller as well as a first mounting opening for accommodating a first bearing section of the apron bridge.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority from German National Patent Application No. DE 2019110880.2, filed Apr. 26, 2019, entitled “TRAGEINRICHTUNG FÜR EIN RIEMCHENSTRECKWERK”, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a carrying device for an apron drafting system of a spinning machine, with a first and a second support, each of which is configured for detachably accommodating an apron bridge and/or for rotatably bearing a drawing roller.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Drafting systems of various embodiments for spinning machines are known from the prior art. They are used to draft or draw a fiber band, in which case the cross-section of the fiber is reduced. During the drawing, the fibers must be transported next to each other as uniformly as possible so that a uniform fiber band is achieved, which is a prerequisite for producing a uniform yarn.

In order to draft the fiber band, the drafting systems generally have a plurality of roller pairs arranged one after the other, which roller pairs, arranged lying on each other, clamp the fiber band running between them. A roller pair usually consists of a driven bottom roller and a top pressure roller lying on the bottom roller. Drawing of the fiber band is achieved in that the circumferential speed increases from roller pair to roller pair in the transporting direction of the fiber band defined by the direction of rotation of the roller pairs.

The individual driven rollers are each arranged on a carrying device, in particular a drafting system carriage, are arranged one behind the other in the transporting direction of the fiber band and form a drafting system bottom section of a drafting system. Since the fibers of the fiber bundle lose their cohesion in the main drawing zone where the fiber band is drawn with high drawing values, drafting systems implemented as apron drafting systems have already been disclosed, in which the fiber band is passed through aprons between the clamping lines of the drawing roller pairs. What are referred to as double apron drafting systems are particularly widespread in this context, in which one apron each is guided around a first top and bottom roller in the area of the main drawing zone and is deflected by a deflecting device from the fiber guidance direction towards the second roller pair into the return direction, so that the fiber band is guided between the top and bottom apron.

Usually, the aprons, which are configured as an endless band, as has been disclosed, for example, in European Patent Publication EP 2 034 060 A1, are guided at least around the drivable bottom roller, a deflecting device and a tensioning apparatus which keeps the bottom aprons at the pretension required for operation. The bottom apron can be driven via the drivable bottom roller, in which case the transmission of the drive torque from the roller to the apron is usually ensured by a frictional connection with a top apron or a top roller.

An essential factor in the yarn quality is the fiber guidance of the fiber band or the drawing quality, in which case a uniformly spun yarn is achieved by uniform drawing of the fiber band. Since the bottom apron has to be pressed against a top apron or top roller, if there is one, for drafting a fiber band, in the area of the main drawing zone, wear occurs on the surfaces in contact with the fiber bands as a result of friction. As wear progresses, the quality of the spun yarn is increasingly negatively influenced, which leads to considerable disadvantages, in particular in the case of high-drawing drafting systems, meaning that the aprons have to be replaced often.

With drafting systems of prior art, replacement of the apron is a task that takes a considerable amount of time because a plurality of components have to be removed and reinstalled, during which time a spinning position equipped with the apron drafting system in question cannot be used.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Based on this, the problem addressed by the present invention is that of providing a carrying device for an apron drafting system as well as an apron drafting system of a spinning machine, which enable an apron to be changed quickly.

The problem is solved by the present invention by means of a carrying device having the features as set forth herein.

Advantageous further developments of the present invention are also stated herein.

It is characteristic of the carrying device according to the present invention that the first support has a base element and a guide section that can be detachably connected to the base element. The guide section has a bearing opening for rotatably bearing the drawing roller as well as a first mounting opening for accommodating a first bearing section of the apron bridge.

The carrying device according to the present invention has two supports which can be arranged at a distance from one another and which can ideally be arranged on a base carrier of the carrying device. While the second support is configured for detachably accommodating the apron bridge and/or for rotatably bearing the drawing roller, there is provision for the first support to be configured in at least two parts and to have a base element, which can be connected in particular to the base carrier, and a guide section that can be detachably connected to the base element. This guide section has a bearing opening for rotatably bearing the drawing roller as well as a mounting opening for accommodating a first bearing section of the apron bridge. The division of the support into two parts, in which case the base element can ideally be connected to the base carrier in a stationary manner, enables easy removal and mounting of the guide section if necessary due to the detachable arrangement of the guide section on the base element. This guide section has a bearing opening for rotatably bearing the drawing roller, within which bearing opening, for example, a bearing of the drawing roller can be detachably accommodated. Furthermore, the guide section also has a first mounting opening, which is suitable for the arrangement of a first bearing section of the apron bridge, via which the apron bridge is thus supported on the first support.

The separability of the guide section from the base element makes it possible to easily change an apron circulating around the drawing roller and apron bridge if necessary. After removal of the guide section from the base element, the drawing roller and the apron bridge are freely accessible on one side, with the effect that the apron to be replaced can be easily pulled off via the then free ends of the apron bridge and drawing roller. A new apron can subsequently be arranged and tensioned again on the apron bridge and the drawing roller without any problems. After a new apron has been arranged, the guide section is mounted on the base element, in which case in the operating position then present, the first bearing section of the apron bridge is again arranged in the first mounting opening and the drawing roller is again rotatably arranged in the bearing opening.

The carrying device according to the present invention enables particularly easy and quick replacement of the apron on the drafting system carriage, since easy access to the apron is provided by simple removability of the guide section. Compared to the apron drafting systems known from the prior art, this allows a spinning position of a textile machine assigned to the respective drafting system to be put back into operation more quickly.

The embodiment of the connection between the guide section and the base element is basically freely selectable, with the connection being executed in such a way that, on the one hand, the position of the apron bridge and drawing roller is reliably secured in the operating position, while on the other hand also providing an easy and quick possibility for removal. According to an advantageous embodiment of the present invention, however, there is provision for the guide section to be detachably connected to the base element via a linear guide in the operating position, in particular a dovetail guide, aligned in the longitudinal axis direction of the drawing roller and apron bridge.

The use of a linear guide for the arrangement of the guide section on the base element ensures, in the operating position, a particularly reliable arrangement of the drawing roller and apron bridge on the first support. The positive locking in the operating position via the linear guide, in particular the dovetail guide transverse to the longitudinal axis of the drawing roller and apron bridge, represents a particularly reliable way to prevent any shifting of the guide section in relation to the base element and thus ensures a reliable rotating bearing of the drawing roller and a stationary arrangement of the apron bridge. Furthermore, the linear guide offers a guided adjustment of the guide section in relation to the base element in the longitudinal axis direction of the apron bridge and drawing roller, so that tilting is reliably avoided both during removal and mounting of the guide section on the base section.

For the functioning of the carrying device, which can ideally be configured as a drafting system carriage, a stationary arrangement of the drawing roller and apron bridge in the operating position is advantageous, for which it is conceivable for there to be a positionally stable arrangement of the guide section on the base element in the operating position. This can basically be established in any way. According to a particularly advantageous embodiment of the present invention, however, a securing element is provided, in particular a securing screw, for locking the guide section to the base element in the operating position. Any securing elements can be used to secure the position of the guide section on the base element, including spring-loaded detent elements or clamping brackets, which fix the guide section in the operating position on the base element. The use of a securing screw, which extends, for example, through a section of the guide section into the base element and can be screwed into the base element, enables the guide section to be secured in position on the base element in a particularly reliable way. The use of a securing screw is characterized by its small space requirement and low costs.

The arrangement of the second bearing section of the apron bridge opposite the first bearing section of the apron bridge on the second support, which can preferably be connected to the base carrier or arranged on the base carrier, is basically freely selectable. For example, the apron bridge can be screwed together with the support in a straightforward embodiment so as to reliably ensure a stationary arrangement of the apron bridge on the second support.

According to a particularly advantageous embodiment of the present invention, there is provision for the second support for detachably accommodating the second bearing section of the apron bridge to comprise a second mounting opening with an entry slope running obliquely to an accommodating shaft, the accommodating shaft being configured in the operating position of the apron bridge by a shaft connecting the first and second mounting opening, and a first detenting means spaced apart from the entry slope and delimiting the second mounting opening, which in the operating position can be brought into engagement with a complementary second detenting means on the second bearing section, in which case the second bearing section of the apron bridge is adjustable in the second mounting opening between the operating position and a release position in which the first detenting means and the second detenting means are disengaged.

According to this preferable embodiment of the present invention, the apron bridge is initially arranged on the carrying device by means of an arrangement of the second bearing section on the second support. The apron bridge, which is aligned obliquely to the accommodating shaft extending, in the operating position of the carrying device, parallel to a longitudinal axis of the apron bridge and/or the drawing roller, is pushed with the second bearing section along the entry slope running obliquely to the accommodating shaft into the second mounting opening of the second support. In the pushed-in position, due to the pivoting possibility provided by the embodiment of the second mounting opening with an entry slope, the apron bridge is subsequently pivoted into a position in which the apron bridge is aligned parallel to the drawing roller.

In this position, the apron bridge with a section of the second bearing section preferably rests on a shoulder of the second support. Moreover, the first detenting means, which is ideally configured as a detent body projecting in the direction of the entry slope, is in engagement with the second detenting means, which is ideally configured as a detent recess, on the second bearing section, in which case there is then a shifting lock in relation to the second support in the longitudinal axis direction of the apron bridge or in the direction of the accommodating shaft. Compared to the apron bridge aligned in this way, the guide section can then easily be pushed onto the first bearing section and the free end of the drawing roller in the direction of the accommodating shaft or in the longitudinal axis direction of the apron bridge and drawing roller, for example configured with a linear guide provided in an advantageous embodiment.

The embodiment allows easy and reliable arrangement and, if necessary, replacement of the apron bridge on the second support. The positive locking, which is configured in a preferable manner via the detent body and the detent recess, also prevents the apron bridge from escaping from its position corresponding to the operating position when the guide section is removed from the base element. This embodiment of the present invention thus facilitates an apron change in a supplementary manner.

The embodiment of the first and second detenting means is basically freely selectable. According to an advantageous embodiment of the present invention, there is provision for the second detenting means to be configured as a slot and/or for the first detenting means to be configured as a detent pin aligned perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the drawing roller. The use of a detenting means configured as a slot allows adjustment of the apron bridge on the second support, so that an optimal alignment of the apron bridge is possible. The detent pin is characterized by its particularly straightforward embodiment and high functional reliability. In an alternatively preferable manner, the detent pin can be provided with the apron bridge and the slot can be provided with the second support.

The arrangement of the drawing roller with its end opposite the first support can basically be undertaken in any way, for example also on the second support. According to a particularly advantageous embodiment of the present invention, there is provision for the carrying device to be configured for carrying a drive unit, in which case the drawing roller can be borne in a stationary manner on the drive unit with its end opposite the first support. The direct bearing possibility of the drawing roller on the drive unit which can be arranged on the carrying device, in particular on the base carrier, ensures that the position of the drawing roller on the carrying device can be reliably secured, even in the removed position of the guide section. In addition, the direct bearing of the drawing roller on the drive unit means that there is no need for a separate bearing on a support opposite the first support. In a particularly advantageous manner, the second support can be configured as one piece with the housing of the drive unit, resulting in a particularly compact embodiment.

According to a further preferable embodiment, the carrying device can be formed into an at least partially assembled unit according to one of the preferable embodiments described above. For example, the first and/or second support can be arranged on the base carrier at a distance from one another and/or connected to the base carrier at a distance from one another. In particular, the base element of the first support can be connected to the base carrier. The guide section can also be detachably connected to the base element. The same can apply in a corresponding manner to the linear guide, for example configured as a dovetail guide, the drawing roller which can be borne on the drive unit, the apron bridge which can be borne so as to be longitudinally displaceable along the accommodating shaft, and the first and second detenting means which can be brought into engagement.

According to another aspect of the present invention, an apron drafting system is proposed. The apron drafting system according to the present invention for a spinning machine, in particular an air spinning machine, with a carrying device having a bottom apron guided by a drivable bottom roller, which bottom apron is supported in the area of a main drawing zone by a sliding section of an apron bridge, is characterized in that the carrying device is configured according to one or more of the above embodiments, in particular in that the first support has a base element connected to the base carrier and a guide section detachably connected to the base element and having a bearing opening for rotatably bearing the drawing roller as well as a first mounting opening for accommodating a first bearing section of the apron bridge.

A correspondingly configured apron drafting system is characterized in that it enables particularly easy and quick changing of a worn apron, in which case, after access to the carrying device has been provided, it is only necessary to remove the guide section from the base element, thus enabling the possibility of pulling off the apron to be replaced via the then free ends of the drawing roller and apron bridge in the course of pivoting the free end of the apron bridge in the direction of the drawing roller to release the apron tension. After that, the new apron can then be easily arranged and tensioned again on the drawing roller and the apron bridge. After that, by attaching the guide section to the base element, the alignment and apron tension required for operation are established.

Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiments of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a drafting system carriage with a drawing roller and an apron bridge in the operating position;

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the drafting system carriage from FIG. 1 in the removed state of the first support and a push-in position of the apron bridge;

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the drafting system carriage from FIG. 1 in a partially pivoted state of the apron bridge;

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the drafting system carriage from FIG. 1 in an operating position of the apron bridge and drawing roller;

FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of an apron drafting system with a drafting system carriage according to FIG. 1; and

FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of a drafting system bottom section of the apron drafting system from FIG. 5.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following description of the embodiments of the present invention is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or uses. The following description is provided herein solely by way of example for purposes of providing an enabling disclosure of the invention, but does not limit the scope or substance of the invention.

Referring to the figures, FIG. 5 depicts a perspective representation of an apron drafting system 1 of a spinning position (not depicted here) of a textile machine, which apron drafting system 1 can be fixed to the textile machine using detent hooks 21. The apron drafting system 1 has a drafting system top section 19, which is articulated on a drafting system bottom section 2, in which case pivoting is effected by actuating a handle 20.

In the operating position of the apron drafting system 1 as depicted in FIG. 5, the drafting system top section 19 with four top rollers arranged one behind the other in the running direction of a fiber band (not depicted here) through the apron drafting system 1 lie on the corresponding, driven bottom rollers 3, 4, 5, 6 of the drafting system bottom section 2. The bottom rollers 3, 4, 5, 6 include the infeed roller 3, which is the first to come into contact with the fiber band, is driven by a roller drive 7 and forms the first bottom roller of the drafting system bottom section 2. The infeed roller 3 is arranged together with the roller drive 7 on a carrying device 8 a configured as a drafting system carriage, which—like the carrying devices 8 b, 8 c, 8 d explained below, which are each configured as a drafting system carriage—is configured for connection to a frame 16 of the drafting system bottom section 2 (see FIG. 2).

The drafting system carriage 8 a is followed in the direction of travel of the fiber band by the drafting system carriage 8 b, on which is arranged a first drawing roller 4 with a roller drive 7 driving the drawing roller 4. The drafting system carriage 8 b is in turn followed by the drafting system carriage 8 c—viewed in the direction of travel of the fiber band—which has a second drawing roller 5 as well as a roller drive 7 driving the drawing roller 5. In contrast to the drafting system carriage 8 b, the drafting system carriage 8 c also has an apron bridge 9, which is held with its opposite bearing sections 27, 28 on a first and a second support 11 a, 11 b, which are connected to a base carrier 17 of the drafting system carriage 8 c.

A bottom apron 10 runs on the drafting system carriage 8 c around the apron bridge 9 as well as the second drawing roller 5 and ensures that a fiber band does not come into direct contact with the second drawing roller 5. The drafting system carriage 8 c is ultimately followed in the transporting direction of the fiber band by the drafting system carriage 8 d, which has an outfeed roller 6 driven by a roller drive 7, by means of which outfeed roller 6 the drafted fiber band leaves the apron drafting system 1.

To replace the bottom apron 10, the first support 11 a of the drafting system carriage 8 c has a base element 12 connected to the base carrier 17 and a guide section 13 which can be detachably arranged on the base element 12. In the operating position of the drafting system carriage 8 c as depicted in FIG. 1, the guide section 13 is depicted in its mounted position, the guide section 13 being arranged on a guide element 25 of the base element 12 via an opening not depicted here.

To secure the mounted position of the guide element 13 on the base element 12 as depicted in FIG. 1, a screw 23 is used, which can be screwed through an opening 24 in the guide section 13 into the guide element 25 on the base element 12.

In the operating position secured in this way, the first bearing section 27 of the apron bridge 9 is located in a first mounting opening 15, which is a through hole, on the guide section 13. Furthermore, a drawing roller bearing 22 arranged on the end of the drawing roller 5 opposite the roller drive 7 is located in the bearing opening 14 provided for this purpose on the guide section 13.

Replacement of the bottom apron 10, which is held in position on the apron bridge 9 and the drawing roller 5 by an apron guide 18 arranged on the base carrier 17, involves loosening the screw 23 and pulling the guide section 13 off the base element 12 until the position depicted in FIG. 3 is reached. In this position, it is possible to pull off the bottom apron 10 unhindered over the then free ends of the drawing roller 5 and apron bridge 9 and then to arrange a new bottom apron 10 on the drafting system carriage 8 c.

It is also possible for the apron bridge 9 to be replaced. For this purpose, the apron bridge 9 is shifted by pivoting it into the position depicted in FIG. 2. The pivoting capability of the apron bridge 9 on the second support part 11 b results from the embodiment of the second mounting opening 29 for the second bearing section 28 of the apron bridge 9. In other words, the second mounting opening 29 has an entry slope which allows the apron bridge 9 to be pulled out of the second mounting opening 29 in the removal position of the apron bridge 9 depicted in FIG. 2.

A new apron bridge 9 can subsequently be arranged again on the drafting system carriage 8 c in reverse order, in which case the apron bridge 9 with the second bearing section 28 is pushed into the second mounting opening 29 in the position aligned in FIG. 2 along the entry slope.

Subsequent pivoting via the intermediate position depicted in FIG. 3 for accommodating a bottom apron into the end position depicted in FIG. 4 not only results in tensioning of the bottom apron but also in a detent pin 30, configured as a first detenting means, on the second support 11 b, which protrudes in the direction of the entry slope of the mounting opening 29, engaging in the position depicted in FIG. 2 with a slot 32 configured as a second detenting means on the second bearing section 28 of the apron bridge 9 and thereby fixing the apron bridge 9 in position in the longitudinal axis direction of the drawing roller 6.

After the apron bridge 9 has been moved into the position depicts in FIG. 4, in which it rests on a shoulder 31 of the second support 11 b, and after the guide section 13 has been pushed onto the base element 12, the drafting system carriage 8 c can be put back into operation.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

-   -   1 Apron drafting system     -   2 Drafting system bottom section     -   3 Infeed roller     -   4 First drawing roller     -   5 Second drawing roller     -   6 Outfeed roller     -   7 Roller drive     -   8 a Drafting system carriage (infeed roller)     -   8 b Drafting system carriage (first drawing roller)     -   8 c Drafting system carriage (second drawing roller)     -   8 d Drafting system carriage (outfeed roller)     -   9 Apron bridge     -   10 Bottom apron     -   11 a First support     -   11 b Second support     -   12 Base element     -   13 Guide section     -   14 Bearing opening     -   15 First mounting opening     -   16 Frame (drafting system bottom section)     -   17 Base carrier     -   18 Apron guide     -   19 Drafting system top section     -   20 Handle     -   21 Detent hook     -   22 Drawing roller bearing     -   23 Screw     -   24 Opening     -   25 Guide element     -   26 Opening     -   27 First bearing section (apron bridge)     -   28 Second bearing section (apron bridge)     -   29 Second mounting opening     -   30 Detent pin (first detenting means)     -   31 Shoulder     -   32 Slot (second detenting means)

It will therefore be readily understood by those persons skilled in the art that the present invention is susceptible of broad utility and application. Many embodiments and adaptations of the present invention other than those herein described, as well as many variations, modifications and equivalent arrangements, will be apparent from or reasonably suggested by the present invention and the foregoing description thereof, without departing from the substance or scope of the present invention. Accordingly, while the present invention has been described herein in detail in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that this disclosure is only illustrative and exemplary of the present invention and is made merely for purposes of providing a full and enabling disclosure of the invention. The foregoing disclosure is not intended or to be construed to limit the present invention or otherwise to exclude any such other embodiments, adaptations, variations, modifications and equivalent arrangements. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A carrying device for an apron drafting system of a spinning machine, with a first support and a second support, each of which is configured for detachably accommodating an apron bridge, for rotatably bearing a drawing roller, or both, characterized in that the first support has a base element and a guide section which is detachably connected to the base element, the guide section has a bearing opening for rotatably bearing the drawing roller as well as a first mounting opening for accommodating a first bearing section of the apron bridge.
 2. The carrying device according to claim 1, characterized in that the carrying device has a base carrier on which the first support and the second support are arranged at a distance from one another, the base element being connectable to the base carrier.
 3. The carrying device according to claim 1, characterized in that the guide section is detachably connected to the base element via a linear guide in an operating position aligned in the longitudinal axis direction of the drawing roller and apron bridge.
 4. The carrying device according to claim 3, wherein the linear guide is a dovetail guide.
 5. The carrying device according to claim 1, characterized by a securing element for locking the guide section to the base element in the operating position.
 6. The carrying device according to claim 5, wherein the securing element is a securing screw.
 7. The carrying device according to claim 1, characterized in that the second support for detachably accommodating a second bearing section of the apron bridge comprises a second mounting opening with an entry slope running obliquely to an accommodating shaft, the accommodating shaft being configured in the operating position of the apron bridge by a shaft connecting the first and second mounting opening, and a first detenting spaced apart from the entry slope and delimiting the second mounting opening, which in the operating position is brought into engagement with a complementary second detenting on the second bearing section, in which case the second bearing section of the apron bridge is adjustable in the second mounting opening between the operating position and a release position in which the first detenting and the second detenting are disengaged.
 8. The carrying device according to claim 7, characterized in that the second detenting is configured as a slot, the first detenting is configured as a detent pin aligned perpendicular to the accommodating shaft, or both.
 9. The carrying device according to claim 1, characterized in that the carrying device is configured for carrying a drive unit, in which case the drawing roller is borne in a stationary manner on the drive unit with its end opposite the first support.
 10. The carrying device according to claim 1, characterized in that the apron bridge is borne in the operating position so as to be longitudinally displaceable along the accommodating shaft on the first support and the second support.
 11. An apron drafting system for a spinning machine having a carrying device with a bottom apron guided over a drivable bottom roller, the bottom apron being supported in the area of a main drawing zone by a sliding section of an apron bridge, characterized in that the carrying device is configured with a first support and a second support, each of which is configured for detachably accommodating an apron bridge, for rotatably bearing a drawing roller, or both, wherein the first support has a base element and a guide section which is detachably connected to the base element, the guide section has a bearing opening for rotatably bearing the drawing roller as well as a first mounting opening for accommodating a first bearing section of the apron bridge.
 12. The apron drafting system according to claim 11, wherein the spinning machine is an air spinning machine. 